Senate Passes Bill to Counter Threats Posed by Confucius Institutes on US Campuses

The Senate on March 4 passed a bill that aims to rid U. S. college and university campuses of Chinese Communist Party (CCP) influence through Beijing-funded Confucius Institutes.

The legislation, which passed by unanimous consent, would force universities that host Confucius Institutes to take full control of the centers, including what it teaches and who it hires, or lose federal funding. The bill, dubbed the “CONFUCIUS Act,” was also passed by unanimous consent during last year’s Senate session.

Confucius Institutes, billed as Chinese language and culture centers, are funded and overseen by a department within China’s central government. They have attracted growing criticism in recent years over their role in stifling free speech and promoting Beijing’s propaganda on college campuses.

“These institutes run by the authoritarian government of China will not allow the free exchange of ideas,” John Kennedy (R-La.), the measure’s sponsor, said on the Senate floor on March 4. “They will not allow anyone to talk about the Uyghurs or the people of Tibet or Hong Kong or what happened in Tiananmen Square.”

Kennedy, in a separate statement, described the institutes as “propaganda centers that threaten academic liberty and free speech without shame.”

“Too many American schools are falling victim to the political con every day.”

The bill would also require Confucius Institutes to protect academic freedom an... (Read more)

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